Treating post-quake trauma

The third anniversary of the Wenchuan earthquake, which killed more than 80,000 people, injured tens of thousands of others and caused a direct economic loss of about 845.1 billion yuan ($130.16 billion), is a time to mourn the dead and sympathize with the survivors. But May 12 is also a time to celebrate the resilience of the people and the building of a new Wenchuan from rubble.

In 2008, the Chinese government planned to rebuild Wenchuan in three years. But the task was completed before schedule, as Premier Wen Jiabao announced at the Fourth Session of the 11th National People's Congress in March.

In fact, Wenchuan's material reconstruction had basically been completed by the second anniversary of the quake, says Zhang Jianxin, deputy director of the Institute of Psychology, affiliated to the Chinese Academy of Sciences. "People are trickling into the 'new' county and their daily life is returning to normal," says Zhang, who visited Wenchuan recently.